Things that you might not know about the Vikings

Who were the Vikings? Where did they come from? What was their way of life? There are tons of questions you might have about the Vikings, but many of these questions have already been answered. All you need to do is to make a little research.

Over the years, historians have been able to shed some light on the Vikings which help us understand more about them.

In this article, we are going to discuss some things you probably didn’t know about the Vikings.

Horned helmets

In some Vikings movies, books or costume, they are portrayed to be wearing a horned helmet. This is not entirely true because depiction dating back to the age of the Vikings, show that they did not wear a horned helmet as many of us have been led to believe. Perhaps it was believed that painters in the 19th century fabricated the descriptions of the Norsemen with horned helmet. The only time that the Vikings did wear a horned helmet was when they were having a ceremony.

Hygiene

Many today bear the thought that Vikings were dirty and must have reeked off an offensive smell. But reports from historians show that the Vikings had very good hygiene. Back then, they had tools for cleaning themselves, like-razors, ear cleaner and even a comb that was made from the bones of animals. Even more, they took their bath more frequently when compared to the Europeans of their time. They also enjoyed having long dips in natural hot springs.

Liquid and fire

Another thing you might not know about the Vikings is that they used liquid to start a fire. Although they were clean people, they used the human waste product in their quest of starting a fire with a liquid. First, they collected a fungus known as touchwood from the bark of a tress and will boil it in urine for days. After which they will then pound it. The end product of their little project was a material that could smolder. What this means is that they could take fire with them where ever they went.

The way they buried their dead

Of course, we cannot deny the fact that Vikings love boats. So they considered it a great honor to be buried in one. The Vikings did not fear death, rather they embraced it. They have the belief that warriors go to a festive realm when they died. Fierce Vikings warriors were laid to rest on exotic ship, that is filled with weapon, valuable materials as well as slaves that have been sacrificed

Viking women

Back then Viking young girls got hitched and had the sole responsibility of caring for their homes while their husband sailed to distant lands to discover new things. That said, Viking women back then enjoyed some sort of freedom that was even more than what other women in their time enjoyed. Viking women had the right to inherit a property, request for a divorce and take back their dowries. Another interesting fact is that many drinking horns have been uncovered from the graves of viking women.

Final note

There are tons of things we do not know about the Norsemen, but from what has been discovered about them, we can come to a conclusion that they were great men who loved adventure.